The Advanced Placement Program evolved from the School and College Study of Admission with Advanced Standing. Its progenitors sought to encourage and reward able and ambitious students, to focus on subject matter, to bring school and college teachers together, and to eliminate the lock-step in education. (Author/MLW)

The great value of standardized tests for locating talent that would otherwise be likely to remain submerged and unidentified is emphasized. Such tests must be appropriate to the actual ability level of the persons tested, regardless of their grade level, so that sufficient ceilings may be obtained and power of minds probed adequately. High test…